Grimes will graduate from IU Columbus in the spring with her bachelor’s degree in business (concentrations in marketing and supply chain management) with hopes of working in sports marketing. She’s also playing her second year of college soccer.
“Hannah is our only senior, and she sets the standard for her teammates,” said Crimson Pride Director of Soccer Kevin Nolan.
Hannah’s plan was to do her freshman year at IU Columbus and transfer to IU Indy. But after a semester in Indianapolis, she transferred back, realizing she was much happier on a smaller campus, close to her family, friends and job at Papa’s Grill, where she’s worked for seven years and uses her knowledge of business operations.
At the same time, she thought her soccer-playing days were over, after graduating from Columbus North High School where she played for Coach Dave Young. She loves the game and moved on to coaching, first as coach for travel team Columbus Express, and she was talking with Young about helping with North’s JV team. (Her plan to eventually work with her dad, who is the head soccer coach at Hauser High School.)
But a social media post by her former teammate Mallory Gilley changed everything: Gilley signed on to play for the newly announced Crimson Pride women’s soccer team.
Even though Grimes was a student here, she hadn’t yet heard about plans to add soccer. Coach Young connected Grimes with the Crimson Pride soccer staff, and she immediately signed up for both the team and a crossfit gym.
“I hadn’t played in two years, and really didn’t expect to play again, so I knew it would take some work! But I started slowly getting back into the groove,” Grimes said. Now, in addition to crossfit and IU Columbus soccer, she also plays in an adult league in Bloomington with teammate Ana Jackson to stay in shape in the off-season.
While the move to playing college soccer was a challenge, and she’s switched from a defender last year to a striker this year, Hannah has put in a lot of work and feels she’s improved a lot. “I know I am not the strongest player on the team, but I hope I at least inspire my teammates to play with a passion and intensity,” Grimes says.
She says the soccer program has grown, too, and that the second-year team is more cohesive, works well together and trusts one another. She attributed this to the coaching staff for defining their vision, incorporating a well-rounded practice strategy, and promoting team bonding—but Nolan also called out the important role that Grimes plays.
“Hannah is always pushing herself. She shows up every day with a great attitude and work ethic,” Nolan said. He added that her technical knowledge of the game, her “soccer IQ” and coaching mentality have been a benefit to the entire team.
